Dublin 1

Now we both have jobs to go to, we decided to drop in on Dublin for a couple of days.

You can't do Ireland without politics - this is victim country - so let's lay a few myths to rest.

According to Irish history, they were conquered by the English a little after the Norman Conquests and were held in subjucation right up to independence in 1948.

Digging a little deeper, however, reveals a more complex picture. The battle that started it all contained no English troops at all. At the time, England, or at least those bits that were being sorted out by the invading Normans, was undergoing systematic subjucation laced with a fair bit of ethnic cleansing - something like 60% of the male population was put to the sword. This is the sort of horror an Irishman could only salivate about - or, at least, write a bloody folk song about (probably about poor Johnny growing cold in his grave put there by slavers. Or something.). The army that defeated Ireland was entirely Norman - the Eurpoean shock-troops of the time.

It seems, however, that a Norman blitzkrieg was unnecessary for this particular campaign. The two sides lined up, the Normans drove a herd of cows through the Irish ranks, and that was the end of that. The Irish were less defeated by an invading army, rather a few fresians.

The Normans went on to do what Normans do - build bloody great castles and grab whatever took their fancy. Meanwhile, in England, the Normans were assimilating themselves in and becoming English, or rather England became a fusion of the new Norman and what went before. This is the source of the 'English' invasion myth and the reason that the Norman castles are to this day called the 'English Castles'.

The English / Normans then went on to be a royal pain in the arse whenever they could and, it must be said, behaved very badly indeed.

As for those who wish to dump the whole guilt-trip on me ... I wasn't there, nobody saw me, and you can't prove anything.

One gateway to Dublin from London is the excellent:

London Stanstead airport served by a fast train from Liverpool Street station.
and thence to the North Star Hotel in the centre of town:

The North Star Hotel
And Day 1's outing was a visit to Trinity College (more politics - this is a protestant university and, according to the catholic church of Ireland, attending it was a mortal sin right up to 1970!):

Trinity College grounds.
This proddy should be safe.
A big shiney ball. Every uni needs one.
A little bit of wandering around town...

The Tart with the Cart - a.k.a. Molly Malone of shellfish fame. A bit loose, aparently.
The River Liffey. Has a similar role to the Thames - keeps the riff-raff away from The True Ones. I'm not sure which side you're supposed to be on, though (north or south).
Having heard enough U2 for several lifetimes, this lot were a refreshing change - they were playing a number by Pink Floyd, since you ask.
Dublin has, for reasons unknown, got a great big phallic willy thing right in the middle of town. One can only speculate what they are compensating for.
And finally, back to the hotel for a couple of coldies. This was the smoking area - the piccy doesn't do it justince - that had the added excitment of being under a railway arch and everything rattles when a train goes over.